Jane Austen 250th Birthday Bash

JASNA Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i State Library invite you to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth on Saturday, Dec. 6, 1–4 p.m. at the Hawai‘i State Library, 478 S.King St. in Honolulu.

Learn Regency-era activities, including card games and dancing. Watch videos about Jane Austen and her times or participate in our photo booth, trivia contest or book exchange.

This free, festive event is fit for Austen fans, anglophiles, cosplay history buffs, and anyone else curious about the life and times of the woman who penned six celebrated English novels, including Pride and Prejudice.

A Jane Austen Halloween

Join us for a mysterious meeting and frightfully fun film co-sponsored by the Hawai‘i State Library System.

Saturday, Oct. 25
1–4 p.m.
Hawai‘i State Library
478 S. King Street, Honolulu
Costume optional—Regenciy, zombie or come-as-you-are.

Test your detective skills in a Jane Austen whodunit for a chance to win a book from the “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” series by Stephanie Barron.

Then watch the screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s parody novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Lily James and Sam Riley portray the iconic lovers as a spooky duo..

‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ – June 1

We’re off to see Jane Austen Wrecked My Life at Consolidated Kahala Mall Theaters on Sunday, June 1 at 12:50 p.m.

RSVP by end of day Wed. May 28 by emailing jasnahawaiinei@gmail.com and we will pick up tickets. Please bring $15 cash or check made out to Donna Lum. If you miss the deadline, you can purchase your own ticket at the box office or online.

The 94-min French film—in French and English with subtitles—is about “a hopelessly clumsy yet charming” bookstore employee who dreams of a successful writing career and Austen-esque romance, but is “desperately single and plagued by writer’s block” until attending a Jane Austen writers’ residency.

A Lady of Letters

Jane Austen is believed to have written thousands of letters. Just 161 survive, collected in various compendiums—familial and scholarly, deciphered and illustrated, economic, and expensive. The Hawai‘i Region explore a handful of the letters for its July 12 Reading Group online discussion.

Participants from Hawai‘i and across the continent read excerpts and speculated about the sentiments behind the words.

Published collections of Austen’s letters, from the somewhat sanitized family volume through comprehensive and scholarly editions, available at a range of prices from a variety vendors and sources, including the Guttenberg Project,

P&P on the Big Screen

Has it really been two decades since Matthew Macfayden and Keira Knightly gave us new takes on Lizzy and Darcy? We were all smiles when Regal Dole Cannery Theaters marked the 20th anniversary with a re-release in of the 2005 hate-love tale. It may not have settled our disputes over who wears which roles best, but we all agreed that the big-screen experience was worth the trip to the theater.

Sisterly Censorship

To get ready for Public Television’s four-part Masterpiece Theater series Miss Austen in May, the JASNA Hawaii Reading Group discussed the novel that inspired the new series—Gill Hornby’s Miss Austen: A Tale of the Austen Sisters. Allowing plenty of room for speculation, we had a spirited discussion of sibling relationships, Regency manners, and Cassandra Austen’s possible motivations for destroying correspondence. Protective lioness, self preservationist, or practical de-clutterer—what do you think?

Holoholo to Ho‘omaluhia

POSTPONED: We will visit the fourth of Honolulu’s five botanical gardens, trekking to the Windward side to explore Ho‘omaluhia, on a date to be determined, followed by lunch at a location to be determined. Email JASNAHawaiiNei@gmail.com for details.

Located at 45–680 Luluku Road in Kāne’ohe, the 400-acre garden at the base of the majestic Ko‘olau mountains features features plantings from the Philippines, Malaysia, Tropical America, India & Sri Lanka, Melanesia, Hawaii, Polynesia, and Africa.

The name means “to give peace,” and the garden was created in 1982 to give peace of mind, providing flood protection for Kane‘ohe.

Jane Austen at Home

Lucy Worsley describes herself as a “signed-up Janite, a devotee and a worshiper“ who has found Austen to be “a far better version of myself.” The historian’s 2017 biography Jane Austen at Home explores places that shaped Austen’s life and figured prominently in her writing. She argues that Austen fought for freedom to live her own way, and that this is reflected in her writing.

One participant in the Hawai‘i Region’s discussion of the book, who admitted she is not a fan of Worsley’s personal-insertion approach to historical documentaries, abandoned the book, while an absent regular emailed that he enjoyed it even if it was occasionally over the top. However, most of the group found it approachable, well written and thought provoking, in short, well worth the read. Speculative? Perhaps, but Worsley documents the facts and is transparent in her interpretations.

The book is available in print or audiobook from Hawai‘i State Library system or visit Goodreads for links to new, used or audio versions. It is also available for purchase from Jane Austen Books.

Fancy That – the Original Fan Fiction

Written in 1914, Old Friends and New Fancies is considered to be the first work of Austen fan fiction. Goodreads says “this charming and original sequel to the novels of Jane Austen intertwines the lives of the most beloved characters from all six Austen novels with new characters of the author’s devising. Inventive matchmaking leads numerous pairs of lovers through the inevitable (and entertaining) difficulties they must encounter before they are united in the end. …a gratifying read for any Jane Austen enthusiast.”

Participants in the Hawai‘i Region’s Oct. 26, 2024 discussion of the book agreed that the book was a pleasant enough read. Author Sybil Brinton has to stretch uncomfortably to bring so many Austen characters into one story, and her character development doesn’t always ring true, but she is able to capture some of Austen’s wit and style at times.

See what you think—
• Read online or download ebook free from Gutenberg Project
• Obtain a $5 reprint or a collector hardcover from Jane Austen Books
• Order hard or soft cover book, Kindle ebook, or Audiobook available from Amazon
• Get as $.99 to $1.99 ebook from Barnes and Noble